Instead of focusing on what he was not able to accomplish during his first legislative session, District 40 Rep. Joseph Sanchez, D-Alcalde, said he is happy with what he was able to get done.
“I think this first session was just about learning the process and trying to help the community through being a liaison and connecting them and getting them information,” he said.
Two of the bills he introduced passed through both chambers and are awaiting signature by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The first, if signed into law, will require the New Mexico Department of Public Safety to enter certain information into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. This is a nationwide database and is funded by the federal government.
The bill amends the state’s Missing Persons Information and Reporting Act and will require the Department to share all information it has or receives about any missing or unidentified person or human remains on the System within 30 days.
The second bill awaiting a signature will create a New Mexico Agricultural Workforce Development Program. The bill includes a $250,000 annual appropriation from the general fund to the New Mexico State University Board of Regents for Fiscal Year 2020.
The Program will require that any agricultural business be able to provide the intern with at least 130 hours of work experience within a one-year period.
Capital Outlay
Sanchez said he would not share his Capital Outlay list, but did provide some information about projects he was able to fund.
“It was based on priorities that were given to me or attempting to fully fund items, or projects, fully or where I could work with one of the other legislators to fund the project fully,” he said.
He would rather fund something completely, or as close to completely as possible, than only providing a portion of what is needed, he said.
He was able to secure $50,000 for improvements for the water system in Alcalde, as well as $10,000 each for improvements in the Acequia de Chamita and the Acequia de Alcalde. He also got $50,000 for the Truchas Volunteer Fire Department to purchase a tanker truck.
Sanchez said much of what he was able to accomplish during his year at the Legislature was by working with other elected officials.
“Where we overlapped, we all worked together to try and fund items,” he said.
Sanchez was one of six Democrats to vote with House Republicans in opposition to a bill to decriminalize abortion.
The bill would have repealed a state law that made it a crime to perform an abortion or receive an abortion. The state law is superseded by the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade.
“That seems like the position of the district and my position, personally, as well,” Sanchez said about his decision to break party lines and vote against the bill.
The bill eventually died in the Senate, after eight Senate Democrats voted with Republicans against passage of the bill. The eight included District 5 Sen. Richard Martinez, D-Española.
Sanchez said next year he will probably attempt again to pass a memorial to support a study the Gross Receipts Tax disbursements from Los Alamos County.
The memorial died in the House Local Government, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs Committee.
This was one area where he and District 41 Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Embudo, disagreed and she voted against the passage of the memorial.
Another one of his House Memorials regarding the regulation of rural electric cooperatives was passed by a full vote of the House, but did not make its way over to the Senate. The memorial was also sponsored by Herrera and District 42 Rep. Roberto Gonzales, D-Taos.
The memorial states an interim legislative committee would receive testimony on “how to best allow a rural electric cooperative to implement, with or without Public Regulation Commission regulation, policies that may be supported by its membership.”
Topics for testimony would include the possibility of passing fixed costs for things such as property taxes and line management onto the consumer, renewable energy sources and power storage and the creation of different customer classes.
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